that's the way they liked it:disco fashiondiana mankowski

In the 1970s, fashion reached new levels of creative expression and, some might say, ostentation for men and women. It was an era when women, no longer limited to strict fashion industry dictates, could choose a variety of hemlines, wear pants in nearly all situations, and discard the restrictive undergarments of the past. Continuing the “Peacock Revolution” of the 1960s, 1970s menswear broke from the standard, austere suit and tie combination that had dominated since the turn of the nineteenth century. As many of the trends and ideals of the 1960s counterculture and radical movements gradually came to influence mainstream fashion, clothing became an increasingly colorful expression of individual choice. Exaggerated fashion trends showed the growing acceptance of anti-conformity, self-actualization, and revolt against convention. According to Anne-Lise Francois, in the 1970s, people wore clothes that stood out in order to fit in.

A Period Where Glamor and Fantasy Reigned

Undated Image, Studio 54, Public Domain

Reflecting the idea that “discos are nothing if not a fantasy world, where you can change your identity by changing your costume,” discotheques became places where glamour and fantasy reigned. Dancers, encouraged by promoters, often wore especially outrageous costumes.

In the largest and most famous discos, such as Studio 54, journalist Ed McCormack observed fashions that varied “from Pierre Cardin suits to silver cosmic clothing, from Halston originals to backless halters, through all the shades, cycles and fetishes of chic, camp and queer, until it culminate[d] in the truly bizarre ensemble of one muscular young madman who sport[ed] a leather aviator’s cap, smoked Captain Midnight goggles and red plastic clothespins clamped onto his bare nipples.”

Some daring dancers spray painted their entire bodies in silver and gold. Others wore futuristic costumes of spandex and shiny metallic trapunto or stripped down to nearly nothing on the dance floor. Studio 54’s “celebrity” regular Rollerena arrived nightly in drag—a Fairy Godmother character in vintage dress, cat eye glasses, wand, and roller skates that had political purpose at its core.

But while dancers could and did wear exotic, dramatic or daring outfits and makeup, outlandish costumes were not standard. For most attendees, disco attire was about embracing the glamour and individuality of the scene in an outfit that was comfortable to dance in and that stood out just enough to attract a potential dance partner. Dancers also needed to consider their comfort level in terms of the often revealing and sexy nature of disco fashion. Luckily, the options were flexible and creative enough to accommodate a wide spectrum of personal choice.

Disco Fashion an Expression of Sexuality

1970s Disco Era Top, Courtesy of Ralph Giordano

Flirty, feminine, swirly skirts and wrap dresses in cuts and fabrics that flowed with the dancer’s movements and shimmered under the disco lights were very popular looks for women as were blouses and pants worn billowy, flared, or skin-tight. Bodywear, which featured pieces made of spandex and Lycra that emphasized a woman’s figure—from leotards under wrap skirts to colorful catsuits---was also popular. Many women further completed their outfits with high heels and make-up that included bold colors, glitter, even feathers.

Many feminists denounced disco fashion as backlash, condemning the return to feminine and sexy fashions as a resurgence of traditional female stereotypes, sexual objectification, and a threat to their cause.

But the mostly female designers of bodywear defended their designs as an outgrowth of the feminist movement. Bonnie August, designer of Bodywear for Danskin, called her designs “right for women today [1979] because women have developed a whole new attitude about themselves over the last ten years.” By rejecting all the constructive garments of the past, bodywear “shows off the body as it is.”

Fellow designer Norma Kamali added that women wearing bodywear were “working through a lot of things (raised by feminism) . . . confident enough to be both feminine and aggressive.”

Women outside the feminist movement defended their decisions to wear feminine, flirty, sexy clothing by redefining feminism to include the idea of sexy self-determination. Disco fashion allowed these women to express a kind of overt sexuality, if they so chose, without having to resign themselves to being sex objects.

Styles that Captured Different Impulses

1970's Women's Fashion, Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

This style also allowed for a greater emphasis on individuality by promoting looks that captured different impulses. For example, the guidebook, Disco Chic: All the Styles, Steps, and Places to Go, featured looks for women that ran the gamut from long dresses to short ones, hot pants to trousers, from modest cuts to low V-necks and super-high slits, and aggressive leather punk looks to an androgynous futuristic outfit. One page shows the same model in two outfits—one with leopard print hot pants and a long-sleeve red top, the other with a long-sleeve, flowered satin blouse over loose-fitting, straight-legged, satin pants. The outfits suggest two very different tones, especially in terms of sexuality, both appropriate for the disco.

Disco Chic also included images of men in everything from suits, casual pants, sweaters and other sportswear separates, to an all-in-one disco jumpsuit fashioned to look like a tuxedo and a “two-piece tunic and pants leather outfit” with trapunto and cowboy boots.

The most common disco fashions for men were casual sport separates or a variation on the three-piece suit, perhaps with some army surplus or leather thrown in for good measure. But popular disco styles for men also included previously shunned embellishments such as extra-wide lapels; snugly fit, yet widely flared trousers; shiny, shimmery fabrics; bright colors; loud, bold patterns; and boots with platform heels.

The Glamour and Drama of Disco Dancing

1970s Disco Dancers, Courtesy of Vanessa Waterhouse

Disco’s emphasis on freedom and fantasy gave men license to engage in the traditionally “feminine” activities of primping, preening, and obsessing about fashion.

In Saturday Night Fever, Tony Manero saved up his hard-earned cash for a flamboyantly colorful shirt or glamorous suit and then preened in front of the mirror. In doing so, he embraced the greater freedoms allowed men in the 1970s due to a previous generation of radical movements. As designer Yves St. Laurent explained to Women’s Wear Daily, “The spirit of the new generation of men is more liberated. They don’t have the fear of not being virile. Before this, there were always taboos.”

Although definitions of masculinity were changing and male disco looks ranged from aggressively macho to sophisticated to outrageously androgynous, all these looks remained acceptably masculine because they were used to compete for attention and attract women.

Disco dancers broke the mold when it came to fashion, allowing freedom, creativity, and individuality to reign supreme. Their outfits reflected the varied responses and lingering tensions of radical movements such as feminism, gay liberation, and sexual revolution, all of which had emerged a decade earlier.

But above all, disco fashion was about wearing clothes that complemented the glamour and drama of disco dancing. These memorable (and perhaps regrettable) looks of the recent past came to mark the decade of the 1970s.

For further reading: Brian Sherratt and Nalani M. Leong, Disco Chic: All the Styles, Steps, and Places to GoThomas Frank, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism

Diana Mankowski received her PhD in history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her dissertation was titled “Gendering the Disco Inferno: Sexual Revolution, Liberation and Popular Culture in 1970s America.” She works as a free-lance historian in Michigan.